“The first-ever publication of a previously unknown short satirical fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien.” – Harper Collins Publishers
Edited by Christopher Tolkien, this book will feature Tolkien’s The End of Bovadium, a story that has never been published before, and Tolkien’s illustrations for it. Tolkien worked on the tale from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. Also included will be the essay “The Origin of Bovadium” by Richard Ovenden OBE.
The story reflects Tolkien’s disdain of industrialism. This is represented in The Lord of the Rings by the scenes in Isengard and the “Scouring of the Shire” where the destruction of trees is a central focus. Tolkien, a lover of nature, and trees in particular, wanted the earth’s natural resources to be preserved, and he saw the lack of regard the burgeoning industrial complex held for them.
His desire to balance preservation with progress can also be seen in the story of Yavanna and Aulë. When Aulë reveals to his wife, Yavanna, that he created the Dwarves, she fears they will destroy her own creations, the olvar (plants) and kelvar (animals), but mostly the trees, because they could not fight back or escape Dwarven axes. When she asks Manwë what will happen to her creations, he tells her that it was written in the Song that spirits will enter some of the trees, and they will become protectors of the others. These chosen trees are the Ents, and their purpose is fulfilled in the destruction of Isengard, a center of “industrialization” in Middle-earth.
Humphrey Carpenter mentions Tolkien’s unpublished story in his book J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. “The Bovadium Fragments…is a parable of the destruction of Oxford (Bovadium) by the motores [automobiles]…which block the streets, asphyxiate the inhabitants, and finally explode.”
It is exciting to have a previously unpublished work of J.R.R. Tolkien released, and a satirical comedy about the potential dangers of industry seems timely, even decades after its writing.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Bovadium Fragments will be released on November 18, 2025
